On Apr. 23, Nova Scotia Health was delighted to celebrate a milestone recruitment success. The increase was so successful that the province actually brought in 253 new doctors during 2023-24 (April 1, 2023 – March 31, 2024). In August, the province seemed to have made some progress in this area, welcoming 89 new family doctors and 164 specialists. This nets a total of 187 new doctors recruited, almost doubling the numbers recruited last year! This increase is especially welcome as Nova Scotia continues to grapple with the needs of all residents for healthcare, especially in family medicine.
Of the newly recruited doctors, 37 are completing residents from Dalhousie University. They make up 49 percent of the university’s graduating class in all specialties. The successful campaign has brought the number of Nova Scotians on the Need a Family Practice Registry down to a few hundred. The province has recruited 60 percent more new family doctors so far this year than at the same period last year.
It seems that Nova Scotia’s outreach to recruit new physicians has been remarkably fruitful. During that last fiscal year, the province brought more than 40 percent more doctors into the province than in the previous year. Of those 253 new docs, 32 percent of them are internationally trained physicians. Their countries of origin include the United Kingdom and the United States. Eighteen subspecialists started their practice within the IWK Health Centre based in Fall River/Halifax.
Dr. Nicole Boutilier of Nova Scotia Health attributed the success to partnership and cooperation between all key actors.
“Our physician recruitment successes are a direct result of the dedication and tireless efforts of the Nova Scotia Health physician recruitment team, the physicians who actively support this work, and the strong collaboration with our partners and community groups.” – Dr. Nicole Boutilier
Boutilier stressed that these efforts are all aimed at recruiting doctors. Just as importantly, they seek to develop the kind of supportive ecosystems that allow physicians and their practices to succeed.
“Together, we’ve not only been able to attract physicians, but also build the supportive environments that allow them and their practices to thrive and remain in our communities for the long term.” – Dr. Nicole Boutilier
Even Premier Tim Houston called these recruitment efforts a game-changer in improving the face of healthcare for residents.
“Our province attracted 40 per cent more doctors overall this past fiscal year than the year prior. That includes 60 per cent more family doctors recruited than in the year before.” – Premier Tim Houston
He went on to emphasize that these accomplishments are evidence of Nova Scotia’s dedication to becoming an appealing workplace for healthcare providers.
“That goes to show the success of our efforts to make Nova Scotia an attractive and welcoming workplace for doctors from around the world.” – Premier Tim Houston
